Like many who grew up around the Monterey Bay in the pre-earthquake 1970s and ’80s, Olivia Joffrey can still hear the vibraphone echoing off the brick façade of the Cooper House in Santa Cruz. And she can still picture the easy, relaxed, supercool fashion choices of her parents’ bohemian friends at weekend gatherings in Carmel.

In her current life as a clothing designer, she’s not prepared to bring the vibes back to Pacific Avenue. But she might be in position to do something about reviving the latter.

Joffrey is unveiling onto the world a line of “cabana dresses” drawn from the designs she remembers women wearing back in the ’70s and inspired by the towns she knew and loved growing up – Santa Cruz, Capitola, Monterey and Carmel.

“Each place has its own personality,” said Joffrey, 40, who was born in Monterey and grew up in Santa Cruz, where she graduated Santa Cruz High School as Olivia Suchman in 1993. And each dress reflects those distinct personalities.

The long, voluminous dresses are designed for “chillin’,” as they probably didn’t say much in the ’70s. “The cabana dress is a contemporary re-interpretation of the hostess dress of the 1960s and ’70s,” said Joffrey. “It’s a longer silhouette that’s a little more loose and comfortable rather than body-conscious the way a lot of modern clothes are. A lot of them have big slits on the side. It’s a perfect thing to throw over your bathing suit and really feel kind of put together afterwards.”

Joffrey grew up the daughter of Dick and Anne-Marie Suchman whose circle of friends drew from many artists, writers and academics from around the Monterey Bay (Her dad was a prominent educator and researcher). The dresses, she said, were a reflection of the sophisticated sense of casual style she saw in the women that were her parents’ friends.

The Santa Cruz Cabana Dress, in particular, she said, was inspired by Sharon Cadwallader, Joffrey’s godmother and a writer, traveler, teacher and social gadfly in the area who published several cookbooks and co-founded the first restaurant on the UC Santa Cruz campus (She was also a long-time columnist for the Sentinel).

“She was the most effervescent, fascinating, life-filled person,” said Joffrey. “She just captivated me as a child. I loved to sit on her lap and play with her silver bracelets from Mexico.”

The Capitola Cabana Dress has a European flavor to reflect what Joffrey sees as a European vibe in pretty Capitola Village. “It’s inspired by that Andalusian feeling in flamenco, with a ruffled sleeve.”

The Monterey Cabana Dress is inspired, said the designer, by the old California colonial architecture of Monterey. “It’s a dress cut with an elegant raglan sleeve that really fits a woman’s shoulder. It’s a cotton, A-line with a big slit up the side.”

And then there’s the Carmel Cabana Dress, perfect, you might presume, for art opening receptions and entertaining over drinks at home afterward. “I’ve always loved Carmel,” said Joffrey. “It’s a cooler climate, foggier, a bit muted and romantic. I’ve always thought of it as a Hitchcock-like place, a little aloof but sexy.” The Carmel dress is “bit more covered,” with ties around the middle to accentuate the waist.

Joffrey’s cabana dresses – most are 100 percent cotton; the Santa Cruz dress is a cotton-linen blend – are not yet available in retail stores locally, though they can be ordered on-line at oliviajoffrey.com. They retail at around $325.

“I think so many of us feel like we’re trapped in our yoga pants these days,” said Joffrey who now lives in Chicago, but is moving back to California (Santa Barbara) this year with her family. “This is so easy to slip on. You don’t have coordinate anything to go with it. It’s a way to get back to the whole vibe from the ’70s when women wore dresses as part of their leisure options.”